2013 British Home Championships
The '2013 British Home Championships '''football competition between the British Home Nations. It was won by Leeds who defeated Wales 7–5 after extra time in the final. March 2013 saw the relaunch of the British Home Championships, which had been scrapped in 1984. However, the new tournament followed a different format, and also included Leeds as well as two invitees for the first time, joining the tournament alongside regulars England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. The two invitees for the 2013 tournament were the United States and Canada. In the new format, the eight teams were split into two groups of four, in which the winners of the groups progressed to a final match to decide the winner. The final was held on 31 March 2013 at a neutral venue. The neutral venue for 2013 was selected as the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. Group A In January 2013, the draw for the tournament placed Ireland, Leeds, Northern Ireland, and Scotland into Group A. Group table Results *Leeds 5–0 Scotland *Northern Ireland 2–1 Ireland *Leeds 2–1 Ireland *Scotland 0–1 Northern Ireland *Northern Ireland 2–3 Leeds *Scotland 0–1 Ireland *Scotland 0–4 Leeds *Ireland 2–0 Northern Ireland *Ireland 0–1 Leeds *Northern Ireland 6–0 Scotland *Leeds 1–0 Northern Ireland *Ireland 1–0 Scotland Venues The games were held at the home venues of whichever country was playing at home that day. Ireland used the Aviva Stadium in Dublin; Leeds used the National Stadium in Alum Chine; Northern Ireland used Windsor Park in Belfast; and Scotland used Hampden Park in Glasgow. Group B In January 2013, the draw for the tournament placed Canada, England, the United States, and Wales into Group B. Group table Results *Wales 4–0 United States *England 2–1 Canada *Wales 2–0 Canada *England 1–1 United States *Wales 3–2 England *Canada 5–3 United States *United States 0–1 Wales *Canada 0–2 England *Canada 0–1 Wales *United States 2–0 England *England 0–1 Wales *United States 2–3 Canada Venues The games were held at the home venues of whichever team was playing at home that day. Canada used BMO Field in Toronto; England used Wembley Stadium in London; the United States used the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey; and Wales used the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Semi-finals Group A winners Leeds were to face Group B runners-up England. This left Group A runners-up Northern Ireland to face Group B winners Wales. Both games were held over two legs. Semi-final 1 The first leg was held at Leeds' National Stadium in front of a crowd of 105,590 people. *Leeds 3–1 England The second leg was held at England's Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 85,440 people. *England 0–1 Leeds The aggregate score was as follows. *Leeds 4–1 England Leeds progressed to the final. England were knocked out, forced to play in a third-place play-off. Semi-final 2 The first leg was held at Northern Ireland's Windsor Park in front of a crowd of 10,950 people. *Northern Ireland 1–1 Wales The second leg was held at Wales' Millennium Stadium in front of a crowd of 68,230 people. *Wales 7–0 Northern Ireland The aggregate score was as follows. *Northern Ireland 1–8 Wales Wales progressed to the final. Northern Ireland were knocked out, forced to play in a third-place play-off. Third-place play-off The third-place play-off was held on 30 March at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania, in front of a crowd of 49,220 people. *England 0–1 Northern Ireland With Northern Ireland's win, they finished third, condemning England to fourth place. Final The final was held on 31 March at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania, in front of a crowd of 55,611 people. *Leeds 7–5 Wales (''after extra time; 4–4 normal time) With Leeds' win, they were crowned champions, condemning Wales to second place. Overall competition rankings #Leeds #Wales #Northern Ireland #England #Ireland #Canada #United States #Scotland